This invention relates to a belt for transmitting power from a moving member to a pulley with grooves spaced around the periphery.
There are situations in which it is desirable to transmit power to a rotating shaft from a member moving in non-rotary motion, such as linear motion. For example, power from a member moved linearly by a stream of water could be coupled to a shaft. In another case, it might be desired to produce shaft rotation in response to the sliding of a part such as a door or a thrusting or pushing member.
The means available to convert motions such as linear motion into rotary motion are quite limited. A rack and pinion gear system can provide such a transformation for motion over a limited range. A cable wrapped around a pulley can be used to rotate the pulley, transmitting force to the pulley by friction. A principal constraint in the latter arrangement is that the cable must be kept quite tight around the pulley. In addition, the forces on the cable must be kept relatively low, or the cable will slip on the pulley. Thus, the cable and pulley system is not suitable where large forces are present that must be transmitted without slippage.